In an effort to help raise awareness about the misconceptions and misinformation about sexual assault, City employees will be participating in “Denim Day 2011” by wearing denim to work on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. A group photograph will be taken at 10 a.m. in the lobby of West Hollywood City Hall, 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard.

Wearing jeans during April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, became an international symbol of protest against harmful attitudes about rape and sexual assault in response to a 1999 Italian Supreme Court decision, which overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. The Italian Court justices reasoned that the victim must have helped her attacker remove her jeans, because they believed that without the victim’s help removing the jeans would be impossible and, to the Justices, implied consent.

For more information, please call (323) 848-6371. For the deaf and hard of hearing, please call (323) 848-6496.